The 25 years after World War II witnessed strong labour market institutions and beneficial labour market outcomes – high wage growth and integration of low-skilled immigrants. Then came the macro shocks of the mid-1970s. Labour market outcomes deteriorated as full-time employment–population ratios fell, particularly among men; unemployment and welfare use increased; and real wages grew slowly. The golden age passed. In response, successive governments have increasingly begun to dismantle the institutional framework. We address this transition within a simple long-run graphical framework to help us marshal facts and arguments and to discuss the likely impact of institutional reform.